A Generation Of Social Networks

As the new generation eases into the working class, these young adults are faced with obstacles not experienced by prior age groups. Social networks are a vital part of modern day operations that hold enough power to make or break someone’s potential to stay relevant and up to date with the keys to success for the future.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tumblr are amongst the many social networks out there today consuming the majority of society’s time and costing businesses around the world billions in the process each year. Many companies utilize these social networks for promotion opportunities and to even find potential future employees.

Communication no longer requires face-to-face business meetings. With the invention of smart phones, notably the immortal iPhone, businessmen can hold meetings right in the palm of their hands. It doesn't get more convenient than that.

In a generation that demands constant communication and relies so heavily on its immediate delivery, quantity is no longer valued as much as the bottom line. Today’s news and gossip can be broadcasted via Twitter in 140 characters or less, and that is just what people want, quick, reliable, no-nonsense information in one convenient central location.

Social networking sites allow people to maintain relationships and effortless communication capabilities with family members, friends, and co-workers, amongst other connections.

As stated before, this constant communication online leads to the decreased need for face-to-face interactions among people, creating a generation more comfortable with the computer screen instead of an actual human being. This makes the idea of physical interaction strangely difficult and stressful for some, leading to an overwhelming feeling of social awkwardness around others, even those they are close to.

People are no longer returning to their parent’s homes for the holidays and reminiscing on childhood memories while flipping through outdated scrapbooks; a timeline of photos ranging from childhood to college graduation to post-marriage life can be seen with one easy click on Facebook.

These photos online, however, do pose as a potential threat for future employment opportunities. While that photo of you at the frat house in college may have gained you social worship amongst the hottest girls, it could also eliminate any possibility of consideration for a business firm looking for reliability and maturity in a hard working candidate.

These networking sites allow our youth to expand their creative expressions in a medium whose significance our prior generations could never imagine.

Studies have shown that the use of these social networks actual lead to an increased quality of life, reducing the risk of many health problems for individuals. However, these networks can also potentially do damage to personality and brain disorders in children, under-using parts of the brain because of the site's fast pace.

This recent dependence on social networks continuously takes a critical beating from various sources and groups, but these views could be attributed to the fear of the unknown. Every generation has remained comfortable with what they are used to, and this comes as no surprise. People generally are not accustomed to change and would rather things stay as they are.

But with every new generation comes new advances in technology amongst other avenues along with unique, contemporary views on such changes. It’s a new time, and in today’s fast paced society there will always be those who find difficulty in riding the express train into the future.

The opportunities on these social networks are endless, but like everything in life, they bare serious consequences along with immense benefits. As a college student, social networks have provided me with ample time to escape the stresses of school and work, as well as providing me with information regarding internship opportunities that would help me develop a prospective career path.

Still, these sites should be taken in with moderation and with caution. It's easy to ignore that very thin line in between whether something is hurting rather than helping one's well being.

Michael Kaye | Elite.